The Fall of the House of Sonny
by Gillen1962
Summary: The Past catches up with Sonny.


16

"Now this is the perfect place." Molly Davis said as she sat her bags down on the floor of the apartment.

"This is perfect?" Her boyfriend TJ said looking around the long unused loft above Molly's Uncle Sonny's Coffee Shop.

There was dust and boxes everywhere.

"When was the last time anyone lived here?" TJ asked.

"Twenty-five or more years ago." Molly said. "Uncle Sonny lived here way back in the day with Stone Cates. But it's just been storage for a long time."

"And he said you could use it as a writer's loft?"

Molly nodded. "Yep he knows that it is next to impossible for me to work at Mom's house."

TJ Laughed. "I think he also knew that he could get the placed cleaned up for free."

Molly smiled, as she looked at the mess, maybe her boyfriend had a point.

An hour or so later TJ was moving a box filled with papers into a walk-in closet off what would have been the bedroom. He was surprised to see an outdated video security system in the closet.

"Hey, Molly, Look at this." He called.

Molly came in and saw the equipment. "Wow this must have been Uncle Sonny's security back in the day."

TJ Nodded. "Should we throw it all out?"

Molly shook her head. "No leave it. Someday Uncle Sonny may need it for something. "

TJ lifted up some old video tapes. "Bet these could tell a story."

Molly smiled, her Uncle was the largest crime boss on the east coast, she was sure that the tapes could tell a story. She took TJ by the arm and led him out of the closet.

"A story for another day."

Three weeks later Molly sat at her desk in the cleaned loft. Her laptop open in front of her. A Cup of coffee next to her and not a single good idea in her head.

Molly had been writing fiction since she was a teen and had been a reporter for Peter August's Crusader for months. But today she had no idea either fact or fiction.

She got up and wandered around the loft. Hoping perhaps that an idea would fall from the sky.

She passed the security closet that she and TJ had shut closed weeks before. She knew she shouldn't. It was wrong and a violation of Uncle Sonny's privacy.

But maybe she could get an idea from something. She opened the closet.

There were more than a half dozen video tapes on the desk. She picked up one marked August 1993, that was so long ago she thought, there couldn't be anything on here that would hurt Uncle Sonny today, and maybe she could get an idea from it.

She got a folding chair from the other room. Placed the tape in the VCR and sat to watch

A half hour later, Molly retched into the toilet of the loft. She was crying and shivering, her stomach now empty of food still rebelled against her.

She had watched four tapes.

On the first one she had witnessed an argument between Sonny and his young friend Stone Cates. Stone, who had died of AIDS a few years later, was begging Sonny to stop what he was doing to Karen.

It had taken Molly a moment to realize he must have meant Karen Wexler, Scott Baldwin's oldest daughter who had died years earlier. She had heard that she and Sonny had been friends.

Molly listened as Stone accused Sonny of giving Karen drugs, of exploiting her and making her become a stripper in his club.

Sonny had slammed Stone against a wall and told him that he knew what he was doing. The tape had ended shortly after that

Molly had searched for another tape from the same time period. She put it in: Sonny and young blond-haired woman were on the tape. She was in a light summer dress. She had been crying. It was Karen.

Molly listened as Sonny humiliated her. Telling her that she had "liked it when her Stepfather had molested her." That she enjoyed having the men in his club look at her, that she wanted him to kiss her.

The girl in tears. Sonny gave her a handful of pills, then kissed her and carried her to the bed.

Molly turned the tape off.

Two more tapes added to the back story. The final one had been taken downstairs. Karen, in a drug induced haze stripping while Sonny encouraged the customers to place money in her G-String and shout perverted things at her.

Molly's whole body began to shake, and she broke down.

She had ended up here in the bathroom vomiting.

She pulled herself up and washed off her face. She could not believe what she had seen. She had always known that her Uncle Sonny was a criminal. But this. She had never seen him like this. To her he had always been kind, wise and protective. She had known since she was a child that she could count on him for anything.

This though was an entirely different man.

He had changed.

She knew that.

But. But what he had done was reprehensible. No amount of good, no amount of kindness could make up for it.

Molly was a postmodern feminist. She believed in repentance, but she also knew that the evil men committed against women must be confronted. Not only for the story of the women but for the enlightenment of the man.

She had never heard of Uncle Sonny going to an anger management class, or a session of Sexual harassment, or anything that would even in some small way begin to bring closure for what he had done to Karen

Karen was long dead though Molly thought, did it matter?

She had family though, a father Scott. A mother, was her mother still alive? Franco was her brother and she had a sister too; Molly thought her name was Serena. Molly had once heard that she was a Captain in the United States Army and an attorney. Surely Karen's family had a right to some closure. Had they confronted Sonny?

Had Sonny apologized?

She laughed to herself No she had never seen her Uncle Sonny apologize for anything.

Did Carly know?

Molly sucked in her breath. Did Kristina know? Kristina her half-sister, Sonny was her father. Kristina's relationship with Sonny was complicated, but this, this would devastate her.

Molly walked back to the security closet and gathered the tapes. She planned to destroy them. She could not do this to her sister

Then a voice in her head began to speak. You can't destroy these. You need to understand the story. You need to know that Karen had some justice. You need to help Uncle Sonny see the truth in what he had done and come out the other side a better man.

Molly put the tapes in her bag and left the loft in search of her mother.

Molly found her mother, attorney Alexis Davis, the daughter of the infamous Mikkos Cassadine at the coffee shop-bar, Charlie's. Alexis' ex-husband, Julian Jerome, the father of Molly's oldest sister Sam McCall was the owner of the establishment and Molly was amused to find her Mother hanging out there.

"Hey Mom, do you have a minute" Molly asked as she sat down across from her mother.

"For you honey, always." Alexis said smiling at her daughter. "How goes the writing?"

Molly shrugged. "Slow. I have had a bit of a writer's block."

"That happens. I am sure you will soon be writing up a storm."

Molly looked around the bar, she wanted to make sure that her sister was not around.

Alexis noticed her distraction. "Honey, what is wrong?"

"Mom." Molly said haltingly. "What do you know about Karen Wexler?"

"Karen Wexler?" Alexis said puzzled. "There is a name I have not heard in years., Scotty Baldwin's daughter, why are you asking about her. She died years ago."

Molly nodded. "Yea. Did she work for Uncle Sonny?"

Alexis looked at her youngest daughter. "I think so, that was before I arrived in Port Charles."

"That was back when Uncle Sonny had the strip club, right?" Molly pressed on.

"Yes, but that was a lifetime ago. Sonny has not owned places like that since before Kristina was born."

"I know." Molly said. "But, does that mean he didn't do anything bad in owning them."

Alexis had no idea what to say. "Molly we all have made mistakes, a lot of us have made very big mistakes."

Molly nodded. "I know that Mom, but wasn't Karen underage when she worked for Uncle Sonny?"

"Molly what are you trying to get at."

"Mom, I grew up in Port Charles, I know a lot of people here have done some pretty awful things. And do you know how I know that?"

Alexis shook her head. She did not like where this was going.

"I know Mom, because everybody talks about it. All the time. I know that Miss Jerome switched Morgan's pills. I know that Nina cut Avery out of Miss Jerome's womb. I know that before he had his brain tumor removed Franco was a serial killer. I even know that you and Luke Spencer once tried to kill Grandma Helene. Everybody always talks about this stuff."

"And your point?"

"My point mother is that when we talk about them, the people involved become better. Franco couldn't kill a fly now. Nina deeply regrets what she did to Miss Jerome and Avery and I have seen Miss Jerome cry over what she did to Morgan. I doubt you and Luke would try to kill Grandma now."

Alexis sighed. "I wouldn't. I can't speak for Luke Spencer."

"No one can" Molly said and both women laughed.

"But Uncle Sonny. "She went on. "No one talks about what he has done. And I am not sure he has ever confronted some of the things he did."

"Sonny has paid a high price for his actions."

"Really? "Molly said. "I love Uncle Sonny you know I do, but Mom he killed your sister."

"That was a complicated thing dear." Alexis said. But deep in her heart she hated herself for saying it. The pain of Kristina's death and the part that Sonny and Jason had played in her murder played on her mind.

Alexis had put it out of her mind for decades, she feared a confrontation with Sonny and Jason would cost her Sam and Krissy and that was not a price that she was willing to pay.

"And what about what he did to Michael's real father?"

"Sonny went to prison for killing A.J." Alexis said defensively.

"And was pardoned under very odd circumstances. I think if a lawyer had the nerve to look into that pardon it would have been a violation of the state constitution."

"You my dear are not a lawyer. And any way what all this about Sonny is suddenly."

"Mom, Uncle Sonny hooked Karen on drugs. He told her she liked being molested by her stepfather. He made her strip in his nightclub and he slept with her when she was just seventeen and strung out on drugs."

"And where did you hear all this?"

"I have evidence" Molly said.

"What evidence?" Alexis responded.

"I found Video tape."

Alexis was shocked. "You what? Molly where are those tapes?"

For a heartbeat Molly almost told her mother that they were in her backpack. But something in her stomach made her lie.

"I asked Peter to put them into the safe at the Crusader."

"And did you share what you think you saw and heard with Peter?" Alexis asked.

"I don't think I saw and heard, I did see and hear. And no, I told him that they were for something I was working on, but I was not ready to share them yet."

"Go and get them and bring them to me." Alexis demanded

"So, you can destroy them?" Molly snapped.

"Molly you have no idea what you are stirring up."

Molly stood and looked at her mother. "I came here hoping you could explain what I saw, instead you just want to sweep what happened to that girl under the rug."

"That is not its Molly. You know that I am an advocate for women."

"Then act like one." Molly snapped and walked out of Charlie's

Alexis thought about going after her. But it would not result in anything. This was bad. This was very bad.

She took out her phone and made a call. "Sam, Mom, we have a problem."

Sam McCall hung up after speaking to her mother and turned to look at Jason Morgan,

He knew Sam well enough to be able to read her face. A long-ago car accident had robbed him of the ability to feel real emotion, but he had learned over the years to be able to mimic back the emotion which he was shown.

With Sam that had always been love. He saw in her face, the expression he had come to understand was concern. "What is wrong?" He made his brain, devoid of the frontal lobes that would allow for empathy to say

"That was my mother, apparently Molly has stumbled across some old video tapes concerning Sonny and Karen Wexler."

Jason searched his memory. For a long while he had no recall of this life as Jason Quartermaine, more recently he had those memories restored but he had no emotional connection to them and so they did not come to mind easily.

Karen, he finally remembered had been his High School Sweetheart. He had lost her to rival Jagger Cates, though they had remained friends. She was Scott Baldwin's daughter. And after becoming a doctor had died many years ago.

His 'feelings for her were blank. For Sonny, however the first man to show Jason Morgan any loyalty, all he had was the ability to reciprocate that Loyalty.

He remembered what had happened between Sonny and Karen and he did not judge Sonny. Sonny was his friend, his brother and that was all that mattered to him.

He looked at Sam, his destroyed frontal lobes needing more information before he could pick a course of action.

"Jason, that was so many years ago but what is on them is appalling. I …. I cannot believe that Sonny did something like that. What do you know about it?"

"Sonny will be upset."

Sam shook her head. "Jason, I am not really worried about how Sonny feels right now. If he did this, he needs to admit it and somehow make some amends."

"Karen is dead. It was a long time ago."

"He hooked her on drugs. He made her a stripper."

"She wanted those things." Jason said, recalling his conversations with Sonny about the matter.

"You really do not believe, that do you?"

Jason had no reply.

He and Sam stood for a moment. Finally, Sam said. "As much as I am disgusted by what Sonny did, someone must talk to Molly, this could cause all kinds of problems. "

Jason nodded "I will go and speak with Sonny."

Sam agreed. "Danny is with Monica; I will go get Scout and head off to find Molly."

Danny was Jason and Sam's son; his younger sister Scout was Sam's child with his brother Drew.

"I can take Scout; she can play with Avery." Avery was Sonny's youngest daughter.

"No. I will take her." Sam said quickly. "I don't want her at Sonny's"

Jason was about to ask why but Sam left the room too quickly. Lacking the ability to connect emotions the concern that he had initially had at her statement had faded before he reached the front door.

Molly had walked along the Port Charles Piers from Julian's new Charlie's to the Port Charles Classic Kelly's diner. She knew from long experience that on any given weekday between noon and one, you could find Attorney Scott Baldwin there eating a BLT.

Sure, enough the Bon Vivant Attorney was sitting at an outdoor table as Molly approached.

"Scott, do you have a minute?" She asked politely.

"For you Molly, I won't even charge." He smiled and motioned her to sit.

As she did her phone beeped, she looked a text from her sister Sam:

Where are you?

On some level she wanted to avoid Sam. She was sure their mother had called her to intervene but on the other hand Sam was her sister and she needed to talk to someone about this.

Kelly's. She texted back.

She smiled at Scott who said. "Soda, Coffee. Milk?"

She laughed. "No thanks Scott." She got right to the point. "Scotty, I don't want to bring up painful memories, but can you tell me what happened between your daughter Karen and my Uncle Sonny."

Scotty rubbed his face with his hands. He began to speak three different times then sat back in his chair. "Molly, I…Look…I want to tell you about this. You know I can't stand your Uncle Sonny…but…I need a …I need to talk to someone first….I am not putting you off or stalling or anything like that but ….I just…Karen is a painful subject for me…can…can you meet me at the Metro court at six?"

Molly was puzzled but the pain on the man's face was obvious. "Of course. "

Scotty threw some money on the table and quickly got up and left the diner.

He walked about half a block away and then took out his phone and pressed three on his speed dial.

"Laura, it's your favorite ex-husband…..no not Spencer…that hurt…can you meet me to talk it's urgent….great…no I will come to you….GH…I will be there in five minutes."

Jason found Sonny and Carly in their kitchen.

He was always confused about Carly. She put forth so many emotions towards him that he was often lost on how to mimic them back. On the one hand she was his friend, on the other she gave off strong sexual overtones, she was also extremely loyal to him, in many ways even more so then Sonny.

She had cost him Robin. He often tried to sort his feelings for Robin. She no longer loved him, so he no longer loved her. But she had literally returned him to life and in doing so awakened his older memories. He was incapable of self-reflection, a shattered frontal lobe physically prevented that, but in his dreams, he was always with Robin. They were doctors and they were happy.

Yet despite what she had cost him, Carly more than any other person, even more than Sam, stirred him as close to real human interaction as anyone could.

Sonny was so much easier for Jason to deal with. Pure and unadulterated loyalty.

"How are you?" Carly said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

He had no subtlety. "Sonny, Molly found some old video tapes and you and Karen are on them."

He saw Sonny inhale deeply. "What do you mean on them?"

Jason shook his head. "I haven't seen them, only Molly has. But she told Alexis that they showed you and Karen arguing about her stripping."

"Yes, I wanted her to stop. And I attempted to get her to stop taking drugs." Sonny said flatly.

Jason shook his head. "That is not what Molly says is on them."

"Where are these tapes?" Carly asked. Cutting to the point.

"In the safe in Peter August's Office." Jason said.

Sonny nodded. "Fine, we will talk to Molly. You go and get those tapes."

"If August objects?" asked Jason

"You have had a score to settle with him for a while." Carly said.

That was true August had assisted in causing Jason to lose five years of his life. Secretly that did not bother Jason much. In many ways, between the coma and the imprisonment they were the most peaceful five years of his life. He did not have to pretend to feel things. He did not have to deal with the swirl of human emotions around him. Did not have to be a friend or father or lover. In some ways he owed August thanks not hate.

Attorney Scotty Baldwin and Mayor Laura Webber had practically grown up at General Hospital. So much of their lives were intertwined with this place and the memories it held. Long divorced, the couple still held a special place in each other's hearts.

Laura was sitting on a small bench outside of the Chapel when Scott approached, He kissed her lightly on the cheek. She took his hand as they sat down.

"So, what was so urgent?" She asked.

Scotty looked away and then back at Laura. "Molly Davis came to me, with some questions about Karen and Sonny."

Laura nodded. "And?"

"And I want to tell her the truth. I know that you don't want to hear that, but I want to tell Molly what Sonny did to my daughter."

"But you didn't?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because the last time I told a kid about some one's rape I hurt you." Scotty said.

Laura took a deep breath and nodded wisely. "When you told Lucky about Luke raping me?"

"Yeah. I don't care what it did to Spencer, you know that, but it hurt Lucky and you."

Laura nodded. "Yes, yes it did." She held Scotty's hand tighter. "Do you know why it hurt so much?"

"Because I betrayed you." Scott said.

"Because you told a truth that was not yours to tell. Luke and I should have found the right moment to tell Lucky, not have Nicholas set him off on a search and you finish the mission. It simply was not your story to tell."

"And Karen?"

Laura nodded. "I may have warm feelings for Sonny, but he will never tell the story and Karen is dead, you are the keeper of her truths. This is your story to tell Scott."

Scotty smiled. "Thank you."

Laura sighed and said. "Scott whatever you tell Molly is going to disrupt a lot of lives, cause untold numbers of people grief."

He shook his head in agreement.

"But." Laura went on "It may also bring healing, Not just to you and Molly but even to Sonny. Real healing begins with the truth."

"I intend to tell the truth" He told her.

Molly was still at Kelly's. She had a soda in front of her that she was not drinking. She had texted TJ but had not gotten an answer.

She was just about to leave when Sam showed up with Scout in tow

Molly sighed she had no idea how this conversation was going to go.

What she did not know was that her sister felt the same way. On the one hand Sam wanted to head Molly off at the pass this was going to be nothing but trouble. On the other hand, what Sonny had did was horrible.

And as Sam thought Sonny had done any number of reprehensible things sexually. Including getting both her and her mother pregnant, though only Alexis' child her sister Krissy had lived. He and Ava had had sex on the tombstone of the man they had killed to conceive Avery, and that while Ava was having an affair with Sonny's son Morgan. He had also had an affair with Jason's younger sister Emily, a girl he had once taught the birds and the bees to.

Sam tried not to judge after all she was far from free of mistakes. Still if what Molly had told Alexis about the tapes was true, that was a whole different level.

Sam pulled out the seat across from Molly and said. "Tell me what is going on?"

Molly looked at her sister. "I have a better idea. Come with me to the loft and I will show you."

Sonny Corinthos had been the crime lord of Port Charles for so long that his life before his rise to the top of power was as if a dream.

He rarely thought of those days. Never reflected on them. Sonny had bipolar disorder and so much of his life before he had begun to get treatment for it, was lost in the roller coaster of Mania and Depression. Bouts of rage and unrestrained sex. He chalked much of what he had done in those days as the cost of the rise to power.

The bodies buried; the lives trampled. He had not owned a strip club, run women or dealt drugs in more than two decades.

But he had done so before. He had been a drug dealer and a pimp.

No. The voice in his head screamed No. He had never been those things. He refused to acknowledge them. The man who did those things was in the grips of a mental illness. It was not him who dealt drugs it was his Bipolar. It was not him who had pimped women, it was his bipolar. He was not responsible.

It had been months since Sonny had gone to a therapy session, ever since his therapist Kevin Collins had, had problems of his own to deal with in the form of his brother Ryan. He still took his medication, but he no longer talked out his problems with anyone but the noise in his own head.

Somewhere in the darkness of his mind a voice of reason. A voice that was not crippled with his illness shouted. "Bipolar is an explanation it is not an excuse." The voice sounded just like Kevin Collins.

Sonny tried to listen, but far louder was the voice that said. "You had nothing to do with that, those things need to stay buried, you paid your dues. You helped that girl. You were her Savior. And your niece better learn that and learn that fast."

Sonny took a deep breath. He needed Molly to understand that he had been helping Karen. She had to know that.

He turned and walked out of his home, looking to stifle the voices.

Sam McCall sat transfixed and watched the videos. This was her second viewing of them, and she was trying to allow the private investigator in her to view them with detachment. It was not working. She could hear Molly and Scout playing in the room behind her. But she was as in another world.

This was not the Sonny she knew. This was a far more dangerous, far more evil man then she had ever encountered. On the one hand that gave her comfort. He had changed, he was not today this man. On the other hand, the man he was today had never come to grips with the man he was, and that meant that this man still lurked beneath the surface.

She finished the last tape and stepped into the other room. "What do you intend to do with these. Molly?"

Molly walked into the security room and gathered the tapes putting them in her backpack.

Her younger sister shook her head. "Sam, I want to be fair to Uncle Sonny. I do, you know that. But that girl's story deserves to be told. "

Sam let out an exasperated sigh, so typical of Molly. "And you need to be the one to tell it?"

Molly shrugged. "Someone has to, and I have the tapes."

"Illegally, they are not yours. And trust me Sonny will take them from you."

Molly shuddered, would Uncle Sonny become violent. Sam saw her look. "I mean he will get Mom to make you hand them over."

"I won't"

Sam gave her a weak smile. "You lied to Mom and said that you had given these to Peter."

"I am going to do so now. I wanted someone else to see them."

"Molly, I agree that Sonny has to somehow account for this. Own it. But, going to the newspaper will destroy him."

"And what about the girl he destroyed."

"Karen went on to become a doctor she did fine."

"You are still haunted by the idea that Franco raped you, even though that turned out to be false, Krissy still suffers from what Kiefer did to her, so does Mom. "

"It is not the same thing. Mols"

"Why because it is Kiefer and Franco and not Sonny?"

Sam had no answer to that. There was no way around the fact that Sonny had been given a free pass for behavior that was outlandish at best and despicable at worst.

"Molly give me these tapes and let Jason and I handle this."

"No," Molly said shaking her head. "I am sorry Sam. Like I said I want to give Uncle Sonny a chance to tell his side and after I speak with Scott Baldwin I will, but for now these tapes are going to Peter."

"I told Jason that that is where you left them, he is on his way to Peter's by Now."

"How could you Sam?"

Her older Sister had no answer.

"Fine then" said Molly. She grabbed her backpack and stormed out,

"Molly wait," Sam yelled. But by the time Sam had gathered up her daughter it was too late, Molly was gone. But where.

Out of the street Molly knew she had only one recourse, while she worked as a freelancer for the Crusader there was another media company in town, and while they did not often do hard news stories, she knew that the man who owned that company would make sure these tapes were protected with his life.

She headed down the street to Aurora media and Jaspar Jax.

Peter August sat behind his desk at the Crusader pouring over this month's financials. Running a newspaper in today's world of failing print media was never easy. And his ledger reflected that.

Still it was better than the life he had lived as the son of Cesar Fasion and the pawn of Valentin Cassadine. Peter began to reflect on his current life when his intercom beeped, and his secretary said. "Jason Morgan would like to speak to you."

Peter stood up as he answered. "Send him in."

Peter walked around to the front of his desk as Jason came in. "Jason what can I do for you?" he asked.

Jason had centered his mind on his mission, getting the tapes from Peter and bringing them back to Sonny. He liked simple assignments like this, where he was not forced to have deep thought or reflection which often caused him a headache. "Give me the tapes August."

Peter cracked his neck. "Tapes?"

"The ones Molly gave you." Jason demanded.

"I hate to disappoint you Jason, but Molly did not give me any tapes."

"I don't have time for lies, August" Jason said drawing his gun from his coat. "Open the safe and give me the tapes."

Peter got up and moved to the painting behind which was his office safe. "Jason, seriously you are going to be disappointed, I have no tapes from Molly"

Peter slide the painting over and revealed the safe While Jason held the gun on him, he quickly dialed the combination and opened the safe door. Peter stood back and let Jason look inside.

Jason ruffled some papers and peered into the safe. "Where are they "He said as he turned.

As he did Peter hit him square in the jaw. As Jason went to one knee Peter kicked the gun from his hand. "If you think for one second that Fasion did not teach his son how to fight a thug like you, then you are a fool Morgan. Now we can go at it or you can take my word and get the hell out of here. I have no tapes from Molly."

Jason got up slowly and then leaned down and picked up his gun. He looked at August. One of the few gifts that the accident had given him was an uncanny ability to know when someone was lying to him. Now that he looked into August's eyes, he saw the truth. Peter had no idea what he had been talking about.

Jason stormed out without saying a word.

Peter watched him go then closed his safe door and returned to his desk. He pressed the intercom and said. Ann get me Molly Davis as quickly as you can."

Jaspar Jaxs was one of those men who got better looking as he got older, and he had been devastatingly handsome when he was young. He sat now behind a large wooden desk resting his head in his hands. Molly Davis sat on the other side of the desk waiting.

She had been here for over two hours. Jaxs had watched the tapes, then asked her a million questions the answers to most of which she had no idea. Then they had worked with one of the guys from Aurora's tech department to transfer the tapes to both the Aurora main frame and three flash drives. Molly had one of those in her pocket. Jaxs had the other and the third he had put in the mail to Monica Quartermaine with a request not to do anything with it till she heard from him. Peter august had called her, and she had explained the situation to him. He and Jax had amicably worked out a split of the story, with Peter getting the breaking news and Jax getting an in-depth article shortly thereafter. Both men would accompany Molly to the Metro Court to meet Scott.

At first Molly did not want the tapes transferred, then she did not want them off the main hard drive but Jaxs had simply said. "Spinelli" and Molly had understood that thee only way the truth was safe was this way.

Jax smiled at her. "Molly, you understand what this is going to do?"

"Yes, for the hundredth time. I do understand. That is why I am insisting that nothing get published or revealed to the public till I give Uncle Sonny a chance to tell me his side of the story"

"He will lie" said Jax.

Molly knew the truth of the statement but answered otherwise. "I think he may tell me the truth."

Jax knew that this was not the case, but he did not want to take away the girl's last hope. He looked at his watch. "Nearly time to head to the Metro Court." He said. "Do you want to freshen up?"

Molly nodded and headed out of the office. As soon as she was gone Jax got up and closed over the door, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Nora, Jasper Jaxs, call me as soon as you get this, I have a custody situation."

The Metro Court was packed. Scott and Molly sat at a table to the left of the bar, where Jax and Peter looked on anxiously.

Liz and Franco Baldwin, Karen's brother and sister-in-law were eating dinner at a table by the windows. They had said hello to Scott before Molly had arrived and had invited him to join them. He had waved them off with some excuses. They watched him sit with Molly with unhidden curiosity.

Olivia Quartermaine, wife of Ned Quartermaine, mother of Sonny's oldest Son Dante, who was married to Mayor Webber's daughter Lulu and co-owner of the metro court had taken their drink order. She had then quickly gone to her office and called Carly. Carly had called her earlier and given her the heads up that Sonny needed to talk to Molly and that if she came in Olivia should call her right away.

Her Uncle Valentin and private detective Curtis Ashford sat at a table nearby discussing business

"Scotty are you ready to talk?" Molly asked gently. From the corner of her eye she saw Julian and his sister Ava get off the Metro Court elevator.

Scott Baldwin shook his head. "Yes, let me tell you about Karen."

Molly took out her tape recorder and said. "Go ahead."

Twenty minutes, through tears, and self-depreciating humor, with stories and anecdotes, with anger and love and compassion Scott Baldwin told the story of the life of his oldest daughter. Of his prom night passion with Meg Wexler, of his not knowing that Karen was his till she was grown, Of her molestation at the hands of Ray Conway, her mother's boyfriend and her de facto step father, of her relationship with Jason and Jagger of her rivalry and eventual friendship with Brenda Barrett, of her life as a Doctor and her tragic death. But mostly he told of her abuse at the hands of Sonny. Of the drugs and sex, of her stripping in Sonny's club, of the club being closed because Karen was underage. Of Sonny's manipulation of the truth.

Scott told it all. Then sat back. His eyes filled with tears. "What Sonny did has been ignored and swept under the rug for decades. This town, me, me more than anyone, has allowed it to be forgotten."

Molly nodded. Scott went on "I am a terrible father. I allowed my daughter's memory, her story, her horror to fade away. I should have never done that."

Molly was about to follow up when the elevator dinged, and Carly and Sonny stepped off.

"Whatever he said to you Molly it is a lie." Carly shouted as they surrounded the table. Both Molly and Scott stood up.

"I told her the truth Carly." Scott said.

"You told her your truth." Sonny said softly. "Molly come on home, with us and let's talk about this."

Molly saw her mother, Sam and Jason step off the elevator out of the corner of her eye.

Jason hated crowds like this. People thought that it was that he disliked parties that made him avoid social situations. The truth was when there too many people around, especially people who had strong emotions towards him, his ability to mimic overloaded and he found himself unable to act. He had to physically will his mind to tune out the emotions around him and to act on his last solid piece of emotional information.

"Uncle Sonny let's take a table here and chat. I want your side of the story as well."

"My side?" Sonny said lifting an eyebrow. "My side is simple. I tried my best to help Karen. She was messed up by Ray Conway. She was strung out on drugs; she had lied about her age to get a job in my club. I tried really really hard to help her. I did in the long run she married, became a doctor."

Scott began to say something then shook his head. "Molly you have my statement and you have Sonny's own words on those tape of yours."

"Those tapes." Sonny said. "I am sure you are misunderstanding them. Come on let's go."

"No." Said Molly. "We talk here."

Alexis came up beside her. "Honey, this is family business let's take it somewhere else."

Molly was livid. "You are right Mom. It is family business. Mine because Sonny is my Uncle. Krissy. Michael, Avery and Dante because he is their Father. You and Ava, Olivia and Carly because you have children by Sonny, Joss because he is her stepdaughter, Jax because he is Joss's father. Scott because Karen was his daughter, Franco because she was his sister. Jason dated her in High School. Yes, this is family business and this whole damn town is connected to it. "She turned to Sonny. "I want to talk to you Uncle Sonny I really do. I want to be fair. But your story does not line up with the truth."

Sonny gripped her arm "Molly you know I would not lie to you."

"But you are lying to yourself." Molly said sadly.

"I am not a liar." Sonny replied tugging her arm harder.

"How dare you call Sonny a liar." Snapped Carly

"But he is" Said Molly. "He molested that girl."

Carly Spun and smacked Molly in the mouth. Her gaudy diamond ring caught the girl's lip and drew blood.

Molly tugged to get away from Sonny. Carly reared back to slap Molly again when a hand snatched hers and tugged her back. Her Uncle Valentine dismissed Carly's hand and said softly. "My niece and I may not be close, but she is a Cassadine born and her blood will only be drawn by family not a trailer trash slattern like you."

Jax had a grip on Sonny's arm and whispered to him. "Let her go Sonny."

Sonny looked around the room. All eyes were on him. This was not the place to do this. He spun too Alexis. "Control her, or I will."

He jerked his head towards Carly and Jason. As he headed to the elevator. Carly hesitated this was after all her hotel, but she followed her husband out.

Sam gripped Jason's hand and mouthed. "Don't go."

"I have to." He said.

And they were gone.


End file.
